Process of extracting copper from carbonate and oxid ores.



No. 725,548. PATBNTBD.APR,14, 190s..

, H. R. ELLIS. P Rooss 0F EXTRACTING COPPER PROM GARBUNATB AND OXIDORES.

PPLIUATION FILED 00T. 7. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEIKCE.

I-IENRY'RIVES ELLIS, OE SALT LAKE CITYQIITAH.

PROCESS 0F EXTRACIING COPPER FROM CARBONATE AND OXlD ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters- Patent N 0. 725,548, dated April14, 1903.

Application filed October 7, 1902. Serial No.4 126,366. (Nospecimens.) y

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY RIVES ELLIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Salt" Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State ofUtah, have invented certain new and useful improvements in processes forthe extraction of copper from its carbonate and oxid` ores and frommaterial carrying carbonatos or oxids of copper; and I do hereby declarethatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention,which will enable others skilled in the art t0 which itpertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to extract .Y

copper from its carbonate and oxid ores and from tailings or othermaterial carrying the carbonates oroxids of copper; and to this end myinvention consists in the use ot' a cold or heated aqueous solutioncontaining sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate or a mixture of thetwo, or a like use of the corresponding salts of potassium or a mixtureof these sodium salts or either of them, as a solvent-for example, amixture of the carbonate of soda with the bicarbonate of soda, or amixture of the carbonate of soda with the carbonate or bicarbonate ofpotash, or a mixture of the bicarbonate of soda with the bicarbonate ofpotash, or of the carbonate of potash with the bicarbonate of potash.

In carrying my invention into effect and in the practical working of myprocess the ores or product or material carrying copper in the form ofcarbonatos or oxids is first crushed or ground to a greater or lessdegree of fineness, if not before so reduced. This crushed material isthen placed in a suitable tank, vat, or other suitable vessel and issubjected to a cold or heated aqueous solution of the carbonate orbicarbonate of soda or amixture of the two or the corresponding'salts ofpotassium. The solution is permitted to percolate the material bygravity, or the percolation may be expedited by pressure, or thematerial and solution may be treated by agi tation by any ofthe ordinarymethods, such as mechanical agitators, revolving barrels, or compressedair or steam. These solutions dissolve the carbonates and oxids ofcopper, and the copper-charged solution is then drawn olf into asuitable precipitating tank or vessel and the copper'in metallic formextracted by electrolysis in the usual and Well-known way. The solutionis then returned to the crushed ore or other material and used for afurther extraction of copper and the operation repeated until all of thecarbonates and l tion, the arrangement ofthe tanks and their.

connecting-pipes being shown diagrammatically. Y

In the drawing, l represents' a percolatingtank having a false bottom 2,of perforated material, to support the crushed ore or other material tobe treated. An outlet 3, below the false bottom, is connected by a pipe4 with the precipitating-tank 5, which may beprov vided with anode 6 andcathode?. The pipe 4 is preferably provided with a valve or cock 8. Asupply-tank 9 for containing the solvent-solution is preferably solocated that its outlet l0, controlled by valve 11, discharges into thepercolating-tank l. A return-pipe 12, preferably provided with a pump13, leads from the precipitating-tank to the supplytank 9 for returningthe solution for reuse after the copper has been precipitated.

It willbe understood that the apparatus shown and described isillustrative merely, and I do not desire to be limited to the form orarrangement of the apparatus shown.

When electricity is employed to precipitate e the copper, I prefer touse a carbon or iron is practically insoluble in the solution. If theextraction in the form ot' metallic copper is found to be impracticalorinconvenient for want of a suitable source of current-supply, the coppermay be recovered from the solution by throwing it down as a sulid byadding to the copper-charged solution a soluble sultid-such, forexample, as the sulfld of sodium, potassium, or calcium. The suld ofcopper thus precipitated'may be allowed to settle or be separatedbyiltration and the clear carbonate solution .returned lto the crushedmaterial for a further extraction of copper until the carbonatos andoxids of the crushed Vmaterial are practically dissolved.

So far as the generic process of this appli- IOO . although it is to beunderstood that, specifically considered, they are not in all respectsequivalents.

Where the ore or material contains only the carbonates of copper, Iprefer to use the aqueous solution containing carbonate of soda orcarbonate ot potash only; but Where the ore or material carries bothcarbonates and oxids of copper or oxids of copper only I prefer to use amixture of the carbonate and bicarbonate of soda or of the carbonate andbicarbonate of potash or a mixture of these sodium salts or either ofthem with the potassium salts or either ot' them-tor example, a mixtureof the carbonate of soda With the carbonate or bicarbonate of potash ora mixture of the bicarbonate of potash with the bicarbonate of soda. Iprefer to use very strong and heated solutions, as their action is morerapid. These carbonate solutions may also be used as herein set forth toextract copper from ores and tailings carrying the precious metals toprepare such materials for treatment for the recovery of the gold andsilver by other processes-for example, the cyanid process.

I do not claim any particular method or device for subjecting suchcrushed ores of copper or tailings or material carrying carbonate otoxids of copper either by agitation or percolation by gravity orpercolation under pressure, nor do I claim any particular method ot'recovering the metallic copper by electrolysis from the copper-chargedcarbonate solution nor any particular method for precipitating thecopper from the carbonate solution in the form of copper sultid by theuse of a soluble suliid.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. The process ot'extracting copper from its carbonate and oxid ores andfrom material carrying carbonate or oxid of copper, which consists intreating such ores or material with an aqueous solution containing acarbonate of soda or its described equivalent;y substantially asdescribed.

2. The process of extracting copper from its carbonate and oxid ores andfrom material carrying carbonate or oxid of copper which consists intreating such ores or material with an aqueous solution containing thecarbonate and bicarbonate of soda or its described equivalent;substantially as described.

3. The process of extracting copper from its carbonate and oxid ores andfrom material `carrying carbonates or oxids of copper, Which'substantially as described.

5. The process ot.' extracting copper from its carbonate and oxid oresand from material carrying carbonate or oxid of copper which consists intreating such ores or material with an aqueous solution containing amixture ot' the carbonate and bicarbonate of soda and the carbonate ot'potash; substantially as described.

6. The process of extracting copper from its carbonate and oxid ores andfrom material carrying carbonate or oxid of copper which consists intreating such ores or material with an aqueous solution containing amixture of the carbonate and bicarbonate of soda and the carbonate andbicarbonateI ot' potash; substantially as described.

7. The processbf extracting and recovering copper from its carbonate oroxid ores or from material carrying carbonatos or oxids of copper, whichconsists in subjecting the ore or other material in a crushed orpowdered state to the action of a carbonate of soda or its describedequivalents until the copper is dissolved and subsequently subjectingthe charged solution to electrolytic action; substantially as described.

In testimony Whereot` I, HENRY RIVES ELLIS, ax my signature, in presenceof two Witnesses, this 22d day ot September, 1902.

HENRY RIVES ELLIS.

Vitnesses:

J. B. THOMPSON, W. II. DIoKsoN.

IOO

